Everything about Atropates totally explained
Atropates (
Greek Aτρoπάτης, from
Old Persian Aturpat "protected by fire"; c.
370 BC-after
321 BC) was a
Persian nobleman who served
Darius III, then
Alexander the Great, and eventually founded an independent kingdom and dynasty that was named after him.
Diodorus (18.4) refers to him as 'Atrapes', while
Quintus Curtius (8.3.17) erroneously names him 'Arsaces'.
Biography
Towards the end of the
Achaemenid Empire, Atropates was governor (
satrap) of the Achaemenid province of
Media. In the decisive
Battle of Gaugamela (October
331 BCE) between
Darius and Alexander, Atropates commanded the Achaemenid troops of
Media,
Caucasian Albania and Sacasene (part of present-day
Armenia).
Following his defeat in that battle,
Darius fled to the Median capital of
Ecbatana, where Atropates gave him hospitality. Darius attempted to raise a new army but was forced to flee Ecbatana in June
330 BCE. After Darius' death a month later at the hands of
Bessus
Alexander himself died eight months later on June 10,
323 BCE, and Atropates' new son-in-law
Perdiccas was named regent of Alexander's half-brother
Philip III. Following the "
Partition of Babylon" in
323 BCE,
Media was divided into two parts: the greater portion in the south-east was to be governed by
Peithon, a general of
Perdiccas, while a smaller portion in the north west (principally around the
Araxes River basin was given to Atropates. At some point thereafter, Atropates refused to convey allegiance to the
diadochi and made his part of
Media an independent kingdom, while his son-in-law
Perdiccas was eventually murdered by
Peithon in the summer of
320 BCE.
Legacy
The dynasty Atropates founded would rule the kingdom for several centuries, at first either independendantly or as vassals of the
Seleucids, then as vassals of the
Arsacids, into whose house they "are said" to have married.
The region that encompassed Atropates' kingdom come to be known to the Greeks as "
Media Atropatene" after Atropates, and eventually simply "
Atropatene". The
Arsacids called it 'Aturpatakan' in
Parthian, as did also the
Sassanids who eventually succeeded them. Eventually
Middle Iranian 'Aturpatakan' became 'Azerbaijan', whence the
Republic of Azerbaijan and the
Iranian province of Azerbaijan get their name.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Atropates'.
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